Noam Chomsky on Trade and NAFTA (1993)

Professor Noam Chomsky analyzed President Clinton’s foreign policy and criticizes aspects of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
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[@MichaelCecil]

Half the joy of this video is watching Professor Chomsky's facial reactions to the call-in questions.

[@doreekaplan2589]

Including the female student.

[@gregmattson2238]

god.. he sure as hell got this one right. and no, 'the rich gets richer and the poor gets poorer' is NOT a truism. Policies can, and have been implemented to forestall that. Theodore Roosevelt, Taft, FDR, hell, pretty well over half the time in the 20th century we had a decent policy that kept the rich honest and preserved our institutions. Starting with reagan, it all changed.

[@michaeljechon6139]

Greg Mattson If it can be regulated it can likewise be deregulated. That's a systemic flaw. A major one, too.

[@pongobabongo]

Greg Mattson the whole point is that a profit incentive makes it so that such policies can only be temporary concessions, not permanent.

[@JohnSmith-to5ow]

Reagan was the great con, a folksy terminator.

[@odis-edgardavidsonthefamilyof]

Make your head go screwing Louie with the bushes and brushes of Mark Twain in the rain you're our new hostess for the mostest you should be the new prayers for all those layers of shamite sandwiches

[@BlackMan614]

You mean the part where he said "continuing with a pattern of democratic presidents link up very closely with big corporations". Some things never change.

[@thecaveofthedead]

I love the Boeing example. Sitting here in late 2019 with Boeing's 737MAX aircraft grounded for months, a genuinely free-market company simply could not sustain those kinds of losses. It would have collapsed. But thanks to massive public spending on Pentagon contracts - of which Boeing is a titanic recipient - no one even talks about the _possibility_ of Boeing going bankrupt. In other words, their gamble on the rushed production of the 737 Max, not only cost hundreds of lives, but also demands a huge sacrifice from the US taxpayer in terms of both propping them up, but also in the tit-for-tat trade war with Airbus to protect them through the crisis. But hell. Spending public money on healthcare would be socialist, wrong, and increase dependence. Ok when it's a massive corporation though.

[@d4lep0ro]

Socialism for the rich.

[@VincentTroia]

damn man well said

[@RyanWattersRyanWatters]

@thecaveofthedead And to think that just a year or so later, Boeing would be saved yet again by the American taxpayer.

[@johntravena119]

@@RyanWattersRyanWatters Boeing pays effectively no taxes in Washington State and, because of their aversion to paying skilled workers what they’re worth, has been transferring it’s plants to states with Right to Work for Less laws.

[@RyanWattersRyanWatters]

@@johntravena119 Yup, it’s really sad. I come from an airline family. In aggregate-and aside from a few exceptions like C-suites and pilots-few major industries treat their domestic workers with such brazen disregard.

[@thesinaclwon]

Could you imagine C-SPAN airing something like this today? Corporate elite would burn that network to the ground.

[@yellow01umrella]

@Angelo Balbi Don't worry Chomsky is still doing interviews and podcasts

[@user-ls8ks7kv8c]

You still need C-Span to livestream the transactions of Congress@@angelobalbi

[@borbalbuddy]

The first ten minutes is an absolutely depressing, but 100% accurate summary of where we are today and what has been happening over the past forty years.

[@flyingcoathang86]

Was so privileged to find this great man (source of truth) probably 15 years ago. You wouldn't find him unless you looked. Here in Australia if i walked the school, universities and streets and asked people what they thought of Noam Chomsky and his theories/opinions they wouldn't know who i was talking about. The ones who seem knowledgeable to a trained and controlled mind get the airtime. The individuals who are so revolutionary and honest in they're opinions are not advertised.

[@KarenSilva-id1gh]

I remember when that was signed and I had a bad feeling about it. It was the beginning of the end. We need people to turn it around!

[@Yoursoulismine814]

Chomsky, holy shit! How can one man be so incredibly based?

[@lukethomeret-duran5273]

He's spent his entire life reading and learning. He is an eternal student and along with him being extremely conscious of history and the working people as round him, makes him an extremely wise and well versed intellectual

[@ponderingnugget]

Wow, this was prescient from Chomsky. He always speaks so calmly and un-dynamically about such important and pressing issues and events it is difficult to take in the full ramifications of the topic at hand.

[@riccardo9383]

david miller Speaking calmly is better to deliver information and discuss events without letting emotional thoughts take over. It's pretty effective but not so easy to do depending on the topic and it's consequences.

[@ponderingnugget]

Agreed, but it is possible to speak calmly and emphatically with inflection and passion to draw in the listener and communicate the urgency of a course of action. I've always found Chomsky to be a nearly comatose speaker.

[@riccardo9383]

david miller I believe he has those characteristics you describe. He is already saying that a matter is urgent and extremely important. I know that when a leader screams "freedom" through the top of his lungs we feel more compelled and motivated to do things, but that could be destructive. Emotional speech can drag us to unreasonable action, we would be subjected to the best rhetoric and not the most reasonable arguments, and that's dangerous. I'm not sure if you understood my point?

[@ponderingnugget]

Don't get me wrong, I believe Chomsky is one of the most important intellectuals of our time. He consistently analyzes the effects the actions of the U.S. government, intelligence agencies, corporations, etc., have on the global scene; a necessary dissenting voice. I also agree with you about overly emotional speech being off-putting. I'm talking about passion and persuasion, not emotionalism. Maybe Chomsky's speaking method reads passionate to you, but it doesn't to me. He sounds more monotone and robotic than Lt. Commander Data. It's really too bad, as what he has to say is usually profound and important.

[@ragemsaid8697]

david miller m chomskian.........fundamentally. Thank u I agree with ur thinking n he is, after all an American scholar.....rare kind of humanity.

[@ctriamimgons]

26:26 Q: Why are your books hard to find? A: They say unpopular things. (Classic.)

[@andrasszeri4753]

He was so right. It's unbelievable.

[@0Caracalla]

@10:10 the Q&A is pretty good. They totally rammed NAFTA past the unions and past the public eye in Congress. It was not meant to be heavily reviewed or scrutinized, it was meant to be vague to the public. NAFTA is responsible for gutting small town Mexico of small farming jobs by buying corn from large American producers- this left those small farming communities jobless and forced to work in exploitative corporate factories in North Mexico. Those who didn’t want to work in the factories got involved in the drug trade or migrated north across the border illegally. NAFTA hurt the working class of Mexico and the US and helped the corporations and wealthy on both sides of the border.

[@tombryant52jumpscoach]

He commented that if not for Ross Perot we might not have heard of NAFTA at all. I remember the debates in 1992 and I think Chomsky was right about that. NAFTA was meant to pass without the public even knowing about it.

[@thomaslwilson2840]

Nearly 30 years ago, but still very relevant.

[@artigraphmultimedia1489]

Translation: Noam accurately predicted the effects of NAFTA 30 years ago. Just like he did on the Media, Fossil Fuels /Climate, Iraq War,Syria, Afghanistan and a lot more. Relevant ? Revelatory is more like it.. 🙏

[@doreekaplan2589]

Living in Costa Rica 4 years, from the age of 66, I taught ESL to class of 33 students. Their goal was to work for American companies in customer service to the U.S., from San Jose, their capitol. Those hired were paid $1500/month. I got $8/hr., common pay there at that time. I did everything in my power to help them get those jobs. For me, it was paying it forward and my reward was beautiful. It IS TRUE that 1 person CAN make a difference. 250,000,000 of us CAN effectively go up against mega business, govt, to take care of ourselves and Americans future, including putting money together by each kicking in very little. Today, 1 MILLION former office- bound workers are voting effectively with their feet by not returning to offices....and that simple step IS WORKING.

[@MrTea7]

You can see Ross Perot debate Al Gore about NAFTA on KZbin, there is a short version and the full length. Judge for yourself who was right.

[@HaleysComet81]

Chomsky only owns three jackets.

[@motorprotein1797]

hmm, all 3 are corduroy coats ?

[@antimattv]

@@motorprotein1797 YES! THEY ARE. LMAO

[@cbskwkdnslwhanznamdm2849]

who has time for four.

[@alexkapa654]

Yes very good lets talk about his jackets becoase the man has abviosly nothing importamt to say….

[@ctriamimgons]

among all the great aspects to admire about the man, i love how chomsky shows immense respect to the "folks" who call in. he's a quintessential (small "d") democrat.

[@artigraphmultimedia1489]

A national hero. Noam-tradomus accurately predicting the future again. Seeing 30 years into the Future.

[@lepidoptera9337]

Yes, he got it all wrong. He was predicting the end of capitalism like 16 times in 30 years. ;-)

[@lassecorson6237]

Anyone else hear Darth Vader in the background??

[@boringmanager9559]

"The split between rich and poor is widening and the country starts to get a third world look", damn, so in 30 years they were aware and couldn't stop it

[@lepidoptera9337]

We have been aware of that for much longer than that, but in a democracy the poor get the abusive politicians they vote for. ;-)

[@LauraVolpintesta]

Yes and here we are now

[@robertcardon5402]

A living genius.

[@chrisalugbuo467]

Noam chomsky is one of my heroes. His book on language helped me critically think.

[@lepidoptera9337]

It didn't teach you proper English grammar, though. :-)

[@chrisalugbuo467]

@@lepidoptera9337 "on language"* srry

[@lepidoptera9337]

@@chrisalugbuo467 His work on language is total bullshit.

[@chrisalugbuo467]

@@lepidoptera9337 how?!

[@chrisalugbuo467]

@@lepidoptera9337 have you even read it?

[@baronvonbeandip]

25:45 I wonder how Chomsky regarded internet at this time and what he thinks about social media now.

[@davefischer2344]

Chomsky you awesome

[@AsparagusG]

The interviewer has the squarest face I've ever seen.

[@jestermoon]

2022, nothing changes. Have we had enough yet? Stop paying tax, shop locally let's do it now. Stay Free

[@bradynorris1653]

Who can replace Mr.Chomsky?

[@andreselectrico]

God, how prescient he was.

[@d.dy989]

I can't get over the stache

[@dornshammer]

About two weeks before my birth. Dang, alas, etc.

[@anachromancer7005]

20:40 timestamp por myself. Professor Chomsky take on the nuclear threat of North Korea

[@paifu.]

39:00

[@larrygrecko921]

That toupee & mustache are something else

[@jones1351]

'The voice of one crying in the wilderness' -- Mathew 3:3 'They would not listen, they're not listening still. Perhaps they never will...' -- 'Vincent' , Don McLean

[@thefakenewsnetwork8072]

Long live freedom and democratic communism

[@lostsoul2184]

What about گازا ?

[@lepidoptera9337]

What about bullshit? I don't know. What about it? ;-)

[@antimattv]

The fact that people keep asking Noam sociological questions as if he were some kind of "weatherman" is telling. Things like "do you think higher education will become more democratic in the future" are a good example, among others. It seems to me, at least, that the institutional and academic drive to portray things like economics and politics as sciences is behind this trend. The exact opposite is true. They are definitely not sciences because the effects and observers are intimately linked. Like Yanis Varoufakis said, "the weather doesn't give a damn about your theories about it, but people do". That's why meteorology is a science and sociology isn't. Let us stop asking Noam to predict things.

[@danscalia1188]

Chomsky Prescient as Usual. They call him this and that but all he does it tell the truth of the matter

[@preasail]

AWS below is a typical bot, making a silly remark. These comments are posted just to get people riled up. Don't respond to them.

[@lostsoul2184]

نفتا ؟

[@odis-edgardavidsonthefamilyof]

It's all in The Onassis of the molasses clot steers with the lobsters

[@CIARUNSITE]

Questions on C-SPAN were more reasonable before 911. His 3 hour appearance in 2004 was like half insane 911 conspiracies.

[@timclimie5146]

Why hasn't anyone, STILL, until this day asked Noam about Bill Hicks? Does he think Bill's kind of social commentary would be good for the world if he were still alive?

[@timclimie5146]

NO ONE on the right is going to respect Noam until he comments on Bill. NUFF SAID.

[@h.charleybodkin9201]

You should email him if you're interested

[@chadsimmons4496]

Tim Climie you want to expand on that thought? Nobody on the right will respect Noam until he comments on Bill Hicks???? Lol. What?

[@thesinaclwon]

I’m 39 and I wish I could be a body donor so if I die young Chomsky can transfer his brain to my body and have another 40 good years to go. Unless I was decapitated or burned to death 😂

[@freddychopin]

We're on the verge of radical life extension. Chomsky *needs* to stay alive long enough to see it.

[@celestecanyon]

He explained it all...that's why he was very rarely covered by msm

[@AA-of4kl]

I wonder why Bill Clinton gets so much credit for the economy during the 90s🤔

[@jbk0507]

Bush came up with NAFTA. Clinton signed it into law.

[@xisting4me]

None Listened

[@theovee4321]

Perot and chomsky were right but perot did something about it

[@BlakeBjornstad1]

LOL. What? Run a guaranteed for failure campaign with bad idea that would have served business (and against working people) exclusively while continuing to third world the US economy

[@mck1972]

@@BlakeBjornstad1 , At least Perot tried to get involved in the Political Process-And let's also remember his own achievements, as a USN Academy Graduate, and also as a self-made billionaire. As opposed to a Linguistics Professor, who has spent his life merely complaining from the sidelines! Smh

[@BlakeBjornstad1]

M CK Chomsky has written over a hundred books and given thousands of lectures to people all around the world. He’s directly involved with social movements which actually change the world. Both presently and historically. Ross Perot doesn’t understand the American people, change or how to bring it about. Hence his failed, go nowhere campaign. What change did his billions of dollars bring about? Nada. This very video is an educational tool that helps bring about consciousness that is a prerequisite to activating others

[@mck1972]

@@BlakeBjornstad1 , You seem to be under the mistaken impression that Mr. Perot’s achievements themselves did not bring about positive change: As a Navy Officer, he served his country in the U.S. Military! As an entrepreneur, he added capital, and created jobs, to our economy! And as a Candidate for President, he made a sincere effort to lead this country! By contrast, Chomsky has spent his entire career in academia. He NEVER served his country in any kind of Public Service Position! He NEVER created a single job! In fact, he has NEVER achieved anything outside the field of Linguistics, above and beyond merely complaining about others from the sidelines! Chomsky merely writing books/giving lectures, about how HE THINKS the world works, but without ANY real world experience in ANY of the areas that he comments on, is just as meaningless as a Politician who writes/lectures about what HE THINKS bad Syntax is! Moreover, there is not a shred of proof that anything Chomsky has ever said, done, or written, has every had any Direct, Measurable, Verifiable impact, on any issue facing this country-Ever! So in reality, regardless of what YOU THINK of Mr. Perot (RIP), and his political campaign, he still achieved more in his life than worthless, gutless, Monday-Morning-Armchair-Quarterback egghead Chomsky is even capable of comprehending! Please open your eyes to reality here. SMH

[@mck1972]

@Matias Martinez , IF my comment is, ' pointless ', then it should be easy for you to meet the following challenge: Please provide proof that anything Chomsky has ever said, done, or written, has ever had a Direct, Measurable, Verifiable, impact, on any specific issue facing this country-Ever! (Outside Linguistics) And I will retract all my negative comments about Chomsky, and never post any more. So here is your chance to silence me forever! Do you accept my challenge?

[@mirzaardi3274]

Chomsky is my secular prophet

[@odis-edgardavidsonthefamilyof]

Look at all these gurus while they're eating hey when they stall good job for you all makes my job real easy pleasey pleasey pleasey Floosey in your pocket books with melted ears for all you fill in the blanks. Not with those tanks

[@gabrielfox457]

The Liberal Socialist economic policies are the cause of depressed growth, they don't work, that's why they have tried to find ways around it. If businesses can't make enough money, the incentive to be in business is gone, so they downsize and outsource. They do this when taxes are too high, which slows economic growth. Both tax hikes and wage hikes diminish economic growth which means job loss and budget deficits, which is compounded by borrowing to make up public funds. Then it gets worse when business just completely leave the area. Liberal and Socialistic economic policies don't work. We could increase public funds by lowered real taxes and cutting pork barrel and unnecessary state and federal spending, then we would actually have the funds to pay for necessary public programs, through sustained economic development. Then only borrow money and send stimulus money in emergencies.

[@Furtivo95]

Trump and Chomsky on the same side here.

[@Furtivo95]

DAG that is actually pretty clever.

[@riccardo9383]

The difference is Trump pretends to believe what he says, Chomsky says what he has studied and talked about for years with no interests behind him.

[@nickatx2471]

sources?

[@isteinbergli3510]

Laughable. Trump is a conman. The rebranded NAFTA - USMCA - is basically the same as before, just now with some TPP-style provisions thrown in (international business courts allowing corporations to sue governments for loss of expected profits, etc.). Meaning it is even worse, and that Trump didn't believe anything he talked about on the campaign trail (that goes for all of his populist rhetoric on tax-cuts for the working class, health care, and so on).

[@BlakeBjornstad1]

Lol, not really.. “Trade deal bad” is very different than having an understanding of why it’s bad and what to do about it. If we both like Citizen Kane, you because you appreciate the story, dialogue, acting, ground breaking cinematic elements and me because I think it’s an okay comedy and disagree with you on every point you make about it.. we don’t actually have a lot in common

[@DjWellDressedMan]

2024: Noam Chomsky predictions about the USA and the concentration of Wealth are correct as always. In 1992, I made $6.00 per hour in the US and today in 2024, The Federal Minimum Wage is $7.25 per Hour and $7.25 per hour is also the Minimum Wage in about 15 US States. And as of 2017, there are No 'Statutory Holidays' in the USA. In 2024 Canada, most Provinces have at least 7 or 8 Statutory Holidays or more!